Desert Warmth
by Purple Handprint
Summary: After Kuma attacks the Straw Hats at the Sabaody Archipelago, Robin and Zoro find themselves stranded together in the deserts of Alabasta.
1. Treatment

Swirls of desert grain swept across the heated terrain, clumping together as they collided with the unmoving forms atop the shifting sands.

One of the masses emitted a low groan, uncurling itself to reveal a slender figure encased in violet. The woman sat upright, her dull, black hair whipping behind her, speckled with brown and yellow as the wind thrust its force against her face, bringing along a slew of sand. Nico Robin winced as coarse particles lodged in the corners of her eyes, and she rubbed at her eyelids in hopes of soothing the sting. Confused and disoriented, she swiveled her neck around, stopping as her gaze landed on a silhouette lying several meters away.

Robin walked toward it, an unconscious man coming into view as she came closer. Soon, the identity of the man became clear to her; the green hair was unmistakable. Dirty clothing hung open over Roronoa Zoro's exposed torso, failing to cover the blood-encrusted skin that stretched over his prominent muscles. With a gasp, Robin's short strides broke into a hurried run. Soon, she reached him, and she gently shook the swordsman's broad shoulders. He gave no response, but the rising and falling of his chest signaled he was still alive.

Robin glanced around for any sign of the rest of her crew but, to her disappointment, found none. She briefly recalled her and her crew mates' encounter with Bartholomew Kuma and how he had made them disappear with just a touch of his hand. It seemed that only she and Zoro had been transported to the same location by "The Tyrant".

She easily recognized the faintly acrid smell that hung in the air, unique to her days of assisting Sir Crocodile of the Shichibukai (though now, his title did not carry such prestige). The familiar texture of the desert sands along with the intense heat only furthered Robin's certainty of their current presence in the kingdom. They were in Alabasta; where exactly, she could not tell. Robin frowned, looking down at her injured crew mate. Zoro needed his wounds treated immediately, and there was no sign of anyone anywhere.

Throughout her years as a fugitive, Robin had become proficient in treating injuries, learning to survive the hatred that followed her. She was by no means an expert, but Robin figured that decent treatment was better than none and took it upon herself to help Zoro. She started with the task of sanitizing his body. Unfortunately, there was no source of water in sight, save for their sweat or saliva, both of which were unsanitary. After a quick debate in her mind, Robin decided that cleansing his wounds would have to wait. Most importantly, she had to focus on preventing further injury and hope that no infections would arise.

Robin removed the pants off her long, toned legs and stretched at the thigh area of the thin textile. After a few fierce tugs, the threads successfully split apart, and Robin haphazardly ripped through the cloth until she held two pant legs and a piece of fabric that resembled poorly-manufactured cut-off shorts. Next, she pulled off her shirt, glancing over at Zoro as though she expected him to awaken and find her in only her undergarments. She defiled the piece of clothing in a similar fashion as the previous one, separating the midriff portion from the sleeveless shirt.

Hastily, she slipped the shorts and bust-concealing top back on; the ragged edges looked out of place on the usually elegant woman. Afterward, Robin took the pant legs and bottom half of her shirt and tore them into strips, pursing her lips as she noted her thin figure did not allow for a large quantity of material. She used Zoro's clothing, as well, slipping off his striped shirt and shredding it into strips. She then casually pulled off Zoro's pants, noticing that it showed no signs of any damage.

Robin realized why. After several failed attempts to cut it open with a sharp, jagged rock (ripping by hand hadn't worked), she stared hopelessly at the dark, unmarred fabric. She gave up and awkwardly tried to place Zoro's feet back through the opening of his pants. She slowly shifted the waistband up and, with a little difficulty, managed to pull the pants back into place, rolling the cuffs up to allow him more comfort in the summer island.

Carefully, Robin then removed the three katanas hanging off Zoro's waist, and began firmly binding the makeshift bandages around his body, covering sparingly so as to not waste the limited cloth she had. She used extra limbs to support his body while she weaved the strips over, under, and around until soon, streaks of red and purple crisscrossed over the long scars etched into Zoro's rough skin.

Satisfied with her work, Robin sprouted feet under Zoro body and swept her crew mate's swords up off the ground, walking off in search of civilization. Zoro's unconscious body followed closely behind.

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><p><strong>So, yeah. A ZoroRobin friendship fic that strays really far from canon. I'll update this whenever I come up with a new chapter, so don't expect regular updates. Have a few chapters done already, but they're out of order and stuff. Also, dem pants. They're indestructible.**


	2. Awake

Robin trudged through the loose ground, ankles buried under hot sand. Still unconscious, Zoro's back dipped slightly under the surface, bobbing up and down as Robin's conjured feet struggled to stay afloat, the fine sand easily sinking under the pressure of each step.

Suddenly, the rugged face twitched, breaking the solemn, unmoving expression that it had previously been wearing.

Light leaked through to Zoro's eyes as he cracked open an eyelid, flooding his vision with blinding white blurs. His eyes shut in protest, not used to the new-found brightness before attempting again to open.

Soon, his vision began to focus, and Zoro found himself staring straight up at a moving sky, feeling himself rock up and down as he moved forward. He tilted his head up. The first thing he noticed was the familiar dark-haired woman in front of him and the torn, revealing clothing that barely covered her voluptuous body.

Zoro widened his eyes.

"Oi!" he cried. "What happened to you?"

At these words, Robin jumped, startled by the sudden noise. She turned and gave Zoro a smile. "Oh, you're up." After she retracted the feet that had been carrying him, Zoro took the chance to immediately stand up, narrowing his eyes at Robin.

"Your clothes," Zoro stated gruffly, his expression darkening. "What happened?"

"What?"

"They're all ripped up," Zoro elaborated, face grim. "Why?"

Catching his implications, Robin, with an amused expression, replied, "Look down."

Zoro glanced down at his chest, staring at the multi-colored cloth that outlined his wounds.

"Oh." The tense muscles in his face relaxed. "Good."

The swordsman suddenly grasped at his side, staring down at the empty space.

"Where are my swords?" he asked, looking expectantly at Robin.

Robin reached for the weapons tucked tightly under her arm, offering them to him.

"Thanks." Zoro swiftly grabbed them from her hand.

Robin smiled in welcome. "Are you well enough to walk?"

"Yeah," Zoro affirmed, taking a few steps to prove his health. He blinked, staring at the ground as his foot sank, heat searing through the black leather that fitted it. Finally, Zoro became aware of the environment he was in (along with the damp discomfort it brought along), his mind occupied, before, on his crew mate's and swords' safety. "Where the hell are we?"

"Alabasta," Robin replied. She opened her mouth to continue, but Zoro interjected.

"Oh, Vivi's home, right?" A look of recognition adorned his face.

"Yes, Princess Vivi's kingdom," Robin confirmed frigidly, her tone contrasting with Zoro's casual, familiar reference to the princess. Her mouth arched into a slight frown. "Anyways," she said. "It seems Bartholomew Kuma had sent us here with his Devil Fruit power."

"That means the others are okay," Zoro perceived.

"Yes... However, we will die unless we find civilization," Robin remarked flippantly.

"I've been heading toward Alubarna, assuming I'm correct about our location," she continued. "But my memory isn't clear enough to be certain of our exact whereabouts."

"Alubarna..." Zoro murmured. "Sounds familiar."

"It's the capital of Alabasta, where the Royal Family resides." Robin spoke this with a stiff formality, the words leaving a foul taste in her mouth as they rolled off her tongue, flavored with bitter memories. "Because of the Straw Hats' rescue of the country and the relationship you and the others share with the princess, I am certain they will allow us to stay in their palace," she explained. "This will grant us shelter and safety for the time being. It's also safe to assume that they will be able to provide us with transportation back to Sabaody, allowing us to meet up with the others."

"Alright." Zoro nodded in approval. "And if we find some people out here or something, we can just ask for directions."

"Yes," Robin agreed. A few seconds of silence followed. "...Now, shall we go on?"

"Yeah, sounds good."

The two headed off, the blazing rays of the sun trailing behind their footsteps.

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><p><strong>Okay, so I forgot about this story, kind of. Well... I had finished this chapter a while ago, but I kept putting off uploading it. Sorry. :P Thanks for the reviews.<strong>

**EDIT: Ew, this chapter. D:**


	3. Past

As the days dragged on, Zoro and Robin mostly kept to themselves, both already accustomed to solitude. They would speak to each other mainly for survival purposes, inquiring about food and plans and such, and any social interaction they had with each other never held enough merit to be labeled as conversation. This silence did not aid in dissipating the air of awkwardness between the two naturally quiet personalities, whose relations have never been particularly warm. Robin had grown used to the rowdiness that always accompanied the Straw Hat Pirates, and despite her lonely past, she felt discomforted by the stark contrast of silence, especially in the presence of a crew mate.

"It's quite awkward, isn't it?"

Zoro gave an indifferent shrug, barely hitching his shoulders upward as he walked along. "Never bothered me."

They took a few quiet steps.

"I've always been curious about your past," Robin mentioned, spurred by his last comment.

"Huh? Why?"

"You're a mysterious person. No one else knows anything besides what everyone already knows: you used to be a bounty hunter in East Blue."

"Well, there's not much to tell," Zoro dismissed. "Nothing anyone needs to know."

"What about your ambitions?" Robin suggested. "I would think your motivations go a little deeper than simple perfectionism."

"I made a promise to someone," Zoro answered vaguely, his default response when questioned about his dreams.

"You've mentioned this before, but you've never elaborated past that."

"I made a promise to someone," Zoro repeated calmly, without a hint of hostility. "That's all anyone needs to know."

"I see." Robin understood and decided not to question any further. His feelings mirrored her own, and even after Enies Lobby, her crew still didn't really know much about her past.

Her past. Memories sometimes washed over her brain without warning, tugging on her nerves in an attempt to reflect her emotions onto her face. A flash of a burning island, a frozen giant, a tearful mother... Over the years, Robin had learned to resist the grip these memories had on her expression. But even if her outward appearance managed to subdue it, her past never failed to bring a brief twinge of pain in the woman's heart.

Zoro glanced over at his companion, who had grown quiet. A subtle, melancholic look hung in her eyes, one that would have gone unnoticed by those far less familiar with the archaeologist. It was a look recognizable to those who knew Robin best, a look that unsettled Zoro.

"She was a great swordsman," Zoro found himself saying. "I could never win any of our duels."

Robin started. Zoro's voice snapped her out of her withdrawn pondering, and though the saddened look was still visible in her eyes, it began to wane, masked by a spark of intrigue. "Oh?"

"I could never win any of our duels," Zoro continued hesitantly, now becoming aware of what he was revealing. "We promised each other... promised that one of us would be the greatest swordsman." Zoro faltered for a second before roughly continuing. "So I have to keep our promise... because she can't anymore."

He wasn't being explicit; he didn't need to be. It wasn't difficult to infer correctly about what Zoro meant. "I understand," Robin replied. "Thank you for telling me."

"No problem," Zoro said flatly, ignoring the lump in his throat. It always pained Zoro to think about Kuina, but strangely, Zoro realized that he didn't mind that Robin knew. She was nakama. "History's important to you, isn't it?"

"Yes," Robin murmured. "It is."

It hadn't taken long for Robin to figure out the reason for his sudden change in decision. It surprised Robin, really, even after all she had been through with the crew, how Zoro could sense her sadness and that he trusted her enough to tell her about his past. He dredged up old, tragic memories so that Robin couldn't do so for herself, revealing personal details that no one else knew.

Robin appreciated that.

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><p><strong>Yeah, these chapters're gonna be pretty short. I've been writing chapters, but they're, like, far ahead. And um... the reason this chapter took so long was because I wasn't sure if stuff was in-character or nothad no clue how to continue. :P Thanks for the reviews. :)**

**EDIT: Meh. :/**


	4. Water

Conversation came easier afterward, but not easy enough.

Idle chatter occasionally pierced the silence, its frequency greater than before but still comparable to the sparsity of water in the Alabastian desert. The two continued their usual routine of walking, resting, and killing desert animals for nutrition.

_It's so damn hot._

Zoro groaned quietly in discomfort, looking down at the sweat-soaked fabric on his chest. Shifting his eyes to Robin, he confirmed that she wasn't looking and slowly tore off a piece of cloth, arching his lips in relief as the sweat left on his body cooled against the desert wind.

"Don't."

Zoro looked up to find Robin looking at him with a disapproving expression. A slight pout unconsciously formed on his face, his bottom lip jutting out a little as his face scrunched into a petulant scowl.

"I don't need these bandages anymore," Zoro protested.

"I don't want your wounds unexpectedly reopening."

"They won't. And the bandages are dirty; they'll just mess up my injuries," he reasoned.

"We should encounter an oasis sometime soon. You should be able to clean them off then."

"We've been walking for hours... I don't see any water."

"We're close. I remember."

"We're surrounded by sand," Zoro grumbled. "How do you remember where exactly it's at?"

"I don't, at least, not exactly," Robin admitted. "But the sand's texture is slightly different here. I recognize it.".

Zoro opened his mouth to respond, only to decide against it with a deflated "Hmph" and sulked quietly to himself, instead.

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><p>True to her word, Robin spotted a glinting in the distance half an hour later, successfully locating a source of water. She urgently alerted Zoro to it, placing her hand on his shoulder and nudging him toward the shimmering. Squinting, he tried to decipher her gesture, perking up from his sour disposition once he discerned what he was looking at. The two comrades scampered gratefully toward it, their trail hitching when Robin jerked Zoro backward after he managed to veer off their intended path, somehow turning around into the opposite direction.<p>

A reddened Zoro mumbled something about desert mirages in excuse, and they soon arrived at the much-needed oasis without another problem

Immediately, they plunged their hands in, cupping their fingers and bringing them to their mouths, wordlessly gulping down the fresh water. It flowed generously down their cottony throats, a welcome change from the drizzle of rain they had caught in the scabbard of one of Zoro's swords, that they had sipped sparingly from throughout their short journey.

Finished drinking, Robin then turned to Zoro and smiled. "You may remove your bandages now."

At this, Zoro promptly unwound his body, careful not to tear up any of the precious fabric. Once all the strips cascaded down, he gathered them up into one coiled heap and hurriedly walked into the pool of water, leaving his swords safely behind in the sand.

_Damn, this feels good_, he thought as he stood waist-up in the shallow water, letting the refreshing feeling overtake his body for a few seconds. His overheated skin welcomed the change in temperature, relieved after such a long duration of excessive sun. Then, Zoro took the buoyant, flowing bandages surfacing above the water from his hands and rubbed the grime off of them, reverting their browned hue back to a decently clean state. Satisfied with his work, he dunked all of his exposed skin underwater, disappearing. He vigorously tousled his submerged hair, shaking off all the clods of dirt that had taken refuge in his green locks.

When he resurfaced, Zoro's waterlogged eyes were met by the blurry sight of something dark contrasting the light, beige environment of the desert. The image eventually sharpened into one of Robin staring off into the distance, and Zoro realized she had been sitting in the hot, dry sand the whole time he had been immersed in cool liquid.

"Aren't you hot?" he called out, gaining the attention of the distracted archaelogist, who had appeared to be thinking about something somewhat intently. It wasn't that withdrawn, troubled look he sometimes found her wearing before the Enies Lobby incident, the one he later realized was sad self-reflection. _She's probably thinking about history or something_, Zoro guessed. "You're not going to get in?"

Robin shook her head. "No, I'd like to take a bath after you are done."

"Oh, right. Yeah, sure, just give me a couple more minutes, and then I'll get out."

"Take as long as you like."

As promised, Zoro relaxed comfortably for a moment before wading out, pants drenched and dripping, to where the thirsty sand eagerly drank up every last drop of moisture. He grasped his sopping, matted hair, running his fingers through the tangles in an attempt to squeeze the wetness out.

"Don't forget to re-apply your bandages," Robin reminded.

Zoro grudgingly obliged, half-heartedly covering himself with the ripped clothing. To his pleasure, he found that the bandages actually slathered his torso in soothing cold, as they were still wet from his washing. He patted down risen bunches of cloth, smoothing out the fabric into a tightened fit around his damaged skin.

"Okay, I'm done," he announced. "Go ahead."

"I trust that you won't peek?" Robin asked jokingly, completely aware of the swordsman's nature and answer.

"Don't worry, I'm not some pervert like that idiot Love Cook," Zoro assured and lied down under a large, overhanging rock that offered shade in the harsh sun. He propped his elbow up to support his head, facing away from the oasis. "Just do what you have to do. I'm taking a nap."

Robin unabashedly began to bare herself, fully trustful of her comrade's honor. She peeled her tattered overwear off her skin, separating the sticky bonds of perspiration. Her articles of clothing dropped down as they came undone, impressing the ground with indefinite shapes, and sand gathered in their crevices. Her underclothes and shoes followed.

Afterward, Robin proceeded with her bath, throughly ridding herself of all the dirt and sand that had accumulated on her body. The task was arduous and time-consuming, but eventually, Robin's hair and skin regained their usual gloss, cleared of the ashen matte they had acquired in the desert. She gave her clothing a good wash, as well, before using her Devil Fruit ability to transport them to the rock curved over Zoro. Her disembodied arms laid the scrubbed clothes onto the rock's flat surface to dry. Robin emerged out the water and waited for herself to dry, too.

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><p>It didn't take long for the Alabastian heat to evaporate the dampness out of Robin and her clothing. Once Robin noticed the lack of moisture in her clothing, she slipped them on, relishing the freshness she felt of cleansed cloth against her equally clean skin. Though she had no qualms about bathing in the vicinity of her sleeping male companion, Robin was still relieved that she didn't have to stand openly naked in the middle of the desert anymore.<p>

She then found herself unsure of what to do next. Her companion was sleeping, and she was hesitant about waking him up. As she stared down at Zoro, Robin felt a yawn escaping her mouth. It had been a tiring few days, and her aching joints whined for rest. It was almost time for their designated sleep period, anyway; there was no reason to continue their traveling at that time. So, Robin curled down beside her crew mate, nestling her small back against the broad bulk of his.

Zoro's eyes peeked open through heavy eyelids, induced by a sudden weight pressing faintly against him. Even in his half-asleep haze, he still recognized the low, shallow breathing that sounded as the figure stirred behind him, brushing against his spine. Unfazed, Zoro simply shifted his arm to a more comfortable position, giving Robin a fortuitous nudge back before shutting his bleary eyes and drifting back to sleep.

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><p><strong>At the unexpected returned contact, Robin brought a hand to her mouth and widened her eyes in revelation.<strong>

**She was falling for Zoro.**

**LOLJK, NO ROMANCE, GUYS. **Hopefully, the bold text made you realize that was part of the Author's Note. **So, yeah. This is purely friendship. Unless you want to interpret their relationship as some sort of budding romance, I guess. I'm not gonna write it, though, so you're just gonna have to rely on any unintentional subtext. :P**

**Longer chapter. Shorter delay. (**Mostly filler.)** I've already done my next chapter, too, kind of. Well... the ending of this chapter kind of screws the next chapter up a bit, so I'll have to fix that somehow. But expect the next chapter, soon. :)**

**Hope this chapter was good enough, and thanks for all the reviews! :D**

**EDIT: I just re-read the old chapters. They kinda suck. Re-writing them.**


	5. Dinner

A long, drawn yawn pierced the quiet afternoon air. A groggy Zoro pulled himself up into a slouched but sitting position, eyes half-lidded. He wiped the thin trail of saliva that had leaked from the corner of his lips and then smacked his tongue against the roof of his mouth, accustoming to the foul taste. Grunting, he then gyrated his joints until they crackled with a series of satisfying pops, stretching out the bandages spread across his ripped figure.

"Eh?" he murmured. "It's bright..." He gazed idly at the orange sunlit sky. "Damn, how late is it...?" He turned, looking for Robin, as if he had expected an answer from her. To his surprise, she was lying asleep beside him.

For the first time, Zoro found himself awake before Robin.

_Well, shit_, he thought. _What do I do now?_

He glanced over at his companion, curled up peacefully in a deep slumber.

"I guess I'll just make breakfast or something," he said to himself, scratching his hair.

And so, he wandered off in search for something to eat.

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><p>"Where the hell am I?"<p>

Zoro was lost.

He stood in the vast desert, with nothing in his company except for the huge scorpion carcass slung over his shoulder for the past few hours.

"I went from over there and then there and then... What the hell?" Zoro stared at his surroundings, puzzled. "I should be back already, then."

He frowned. "Did Robin move or something?" His frown turned agitated, his eyebrows creased as he accepted his assumption and growled, "Dammit! Why'd that woman have to make things so difficult!?"

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><p>Meanwhile, Robin awoke, fully rested and slightly dazed. The sky was dark; it was <em>much<em> later than it was supposed to be.

She had overslept.

Robin hadn't realized the extent of the exhaustion, both physical and mental, from her journey until the moment she realized that her usual punctual preparedness had fallen behind. It was a bit of a surprise, those extra hours of sleep, though not an altogether unpleasant one. Her muscles were reinvigorated, her eyes more alert. Robin felt refreshed.

The oversleep, however, also made Robin lethargic in her attempts to sit up, and she had to force her body to prop itself upright.

Once she did, though, Robin immediately noticed that Zoro was missing. She glanced around, trying to locate her missing companion. Of course, he was nowhere within eye range, so, crossing her arms, Robin summoned up a large volume of arm-eye hybrids, dispersing them over a large radius around her.

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><p>It did not take long to find the swordsman wandering around, confused and cursing. He had gotten himself lost, though not hopelessly so, as it seemed he had simply been repeatedly circling around a desolate area not far from the oasis.<p>

Robin sprouted a hand with a mouth attached to it and used it to tap his shoulder.

"Hngh!" Zoro choked in surprise, dropping his scorpion. He swiveled his neck to face the waving arm on his shoulder.

"Lost?" the disembodied hand voiced, with an amused smirk.

"If you hadn't moved somewhere else, I wouldn't be!" Zoro grumbled defiantly.

"If I hadn't..." Robin repeated, trailing off as she understood Zoro's comment. "Hm, yes, I suppose so," she humored the man, smiling.

"Eh!? What's with that tone?" Zoro huffed. "It _is_ your fault!"

"Okay, Zoro," she replied, in the same tone of voice. "If you say so."

"Stop that!"

The hand chuckled and disappeared with a puff of petals.

"Damn woman..." Zoro muttered, before following the path of arms leading back to his crew mate.

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><p>Luckily, Zoro managed to find his way back to Robin despite a few confused deviations from the path along the way.<p>

"That's quite a large scorpion you have there," Robin remarked, eying Zoro's animal with half-interest.

"Yeah, it's our breakfast-er, lunch," Zoro corrected before offering a revised "...Dinner?"

"Judging by the color of the sky, I would say dinner," Robin confirmed with a smile. "Though I have to say, that seems to be a rather large amount for dinner. That scorpion's twice your size."

"We can eat it tomorrow, too," suggested Zoro with a shrug. "Now then..." he murmured, pulling two swords from their sheathes. "Nitoryu..." He outstretched his arms in preparation, aimed at the scorpion. "Sai Kuru." His arms whipped into a cycle, whirling the air with powerful slashes. The scorpion flew skyward but quickly descended into a pile of cleanly sliced pieces, shell outlining the moist, glistening meat that had been hidden inside.

Zoro looked on at his work in approval. Then, in one fluid motion, he grasped his white sword, his precious Wado Ichimonji, and placed it between his teeth. He breathed a low "Yaki Oni...", slashing his swords once together and creating sparks of friction. A bright scarlet tint seared through his swords, erupting into flames as Zoro crossed his arms and readied his swords behind him. He dashed forward and finished with a forceful "Giri!", lighting the raw meat on fire, smoking and burning.

Then, Zoro quickly swiped his swords through the air in one curling arc, extinguishing the flames and placing two of them, the ones in his mouth and right hand, back into their sheathes.

"It's impressive how you manage to do that without burning yourself," Robin said.

Crouching down, Zoro stabbed at the flaming meat, flipping them, waiting for the for the pieces to lose their squishy texture and turn a dark shade. "It's just a tolerance, I guess, like with booze," he rationalized.

"A tolerance for fire," said Robin, contemplating the idea. Considering the things she had seen, fire tolerance was hardly surprising, especially with all the flaming attacks people seemed to be able to perform.

"Yeah, it's like with the dumb-ass cook and his... Diablo Kick or whatever," the swordsman explained. "Except he says it's because his heart burns hotter than fire or some other bullshit."

"How like Sanji to come up with a romantic reason like that."

"Yeah, leave it to the shit cook to come up with such a shit reason."

Robin couldn't help but chuckle at Zoro's juvenile comment. "It must also take a lot of strength to create so much friction that you summon fire almost instantaneously. I don't think I'm capable of such feats," she remarked.

"It just takes training." Zoro replied. He gave Robin a quick once-over. "Try working out more."

"I like to think my body is well-maintained."

"It's really feminine. You should lose the curves; replace 'em with muscle," the bulky swordsman suggested.

"My fighting style isn't reliant on brute strength, so that wouldn't make much of a difference in terms of fighting skill," Robin reasoned. "Besides, I quite like my curves."

Zoro shrugged and turned back to his cooking. "Suit yourself."

After a few minutes, he proclaimed, "Meat's done." He summoned a small gust of wind over the meat by quickly slicing the air above it, through the fire. Steam rose over the freshly-cooked scorpion. The swordsman proceeded to gut the rim of one of the thick, neat slices of meat he had prepared, separating the hard shell from the tender muscle. He successfully pulled the meat out the shell and looked up at Robin.

"Here," he offered, reaching his arm out toward her, meat hanging limply from his thick hand.

Robin thanked her cook and sat down next to him, taking the food from his hand. The two ate quietly; Robin peeled small pieces of her meat to put in her mouth and chewed slowly and thoroughly while Zoro attacked his slices with large bites, gulping down unmashed lumps and making smacking noises throughout.

Stars began to peek through the dark sky. A sliver of the moon shone faintly among the faraway glowing dots.

Zoro took notice of the sight.

"...We didn't do anything today," he said to Robin, offhandedly.

"I enjoyed the extra sleep."

"That's good." Zoro nodded.

Robin murmured a "Yes" and returned to her food.

Zoro shifted his focus back to the sky. The stars reminded him of a city from his memories, quite a long time ago, of low lights from elaborate buildings illuminating the cold night.

"How long 'til Alabasta?" he asked.

"A few days, maybe a week," Robin answered. "I'm not sure."

"Oh, okay. That's not very long."

Conversation came to a standstill again as the two continued to eat.

Zoro grew full first. Groaning, he stretched out his arms and extended his legs before him, hands moving to position themselves behind scruffy green hair.

Still eating, Robin watched as Zoro started to lay down. "Are you and Princess Vivi close?" she inquired suddenly.

Zoro froze at the sudden question, his back arched above the ground, before continuing his descent until he was lying flat down, arms bent so that his clasped fingers laid underneath his head, eyes closed.

"She and I are nakama," he answered simply. "Just like us." His eyes stayed closed as he spoke.

Robin mulled over his response. "But Princess Vivi and I are not."

"Yeah," Zoro murmured rather lazily, a trace of drowsiness lacing his voice.

Robin waited for more words, but his mouth remained unmoving. Realizing that he had no intention of continuing, she tentatively asked, "Do you think she will mind my presence?"

"Nah," Zoro dismissed nonchalantly, eyes still hidden beneath his eyelids.

Robin raised an eyebrow. "You say that like it's a sure thing."

"It is," came his reply: another terse answer, uttered with the same level of confidence as before.

"And why do you say that?" Robin leaned forward, grasping her chin.

"She's a Straw Hat. We don't hold grudges," he told her, the sleepiness in his voice still evident but muffled by the strong, unwavering tone at which his words were delivered. "If we did, you wouldn't be in our crew right now. Same with Franky."

Robin listened as Zoro began listing other past antagonists that the Straw Hats had befriended, which included Hatchan, Bon Clay, and "that one marine guy, Helpo or something".

"Hell, even Vivi herself started out as an enemy," he concluded. "The point is, none of us care about the past. All that matters is that you're a good person."

Zoro turned his head to Robin, his previously shut eyes now aiming a firm look toward his crewmate. "And you're a good person."

A memory of similar words from her captain surfaced to mind, and Robin reflected on Zoro's explanation for a moment before slipping him a small, gracious smile. "Thank you, Zoro."

Zoro gave a noncommittal grunt in response, closing his eyes once again as he rolled back to his previous position.

Soon, Robin heard a faint snore and realized he had fallen asleep. She let out a soft chuckle and shook her head in unsurprised amusement.

* * *

><p><strong>Yup, yup. New update. School's a lot of work.<strong>

**Also, I was trying to figure out a way for them to make fire in the desert with, like, no tools and stuff, so I looked up Zoro's attacks, figuring he'd have some sort of fire attack. He did, so I used it. But... then I realized that when he does the attack, his swords have to ****_already _****be on fire. So I was just like, "'Kay, Diable Jamble. Friction. New technique time!" So... Hooray for improving during the timeskip!**

**And I've had that Vivi conversation done since I started the story; like, it was one of the first things I wrote. But I had no idea how to segue into that, so... That's partly to blame for the super long update time. Still not sure I transitioned into that very well... Aw well, good enough.**

**Oh, and I don't think I have any figurative language in this chapter. :/ And the dialogue's pretty awkward. OH WELL.**


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